For Better or for Worse
by ArminArlelt
Summary: Ilia is a lonely girl whose only friends are her bedroom walls. But when a new boy comes to town, it changes her life for the better. At least... for the moment. One-sided LinkxIlia.
1. The new kid

**This is a little short story while I get my new story plot going.**

**I don't support this pairing, but I felt sorta almost bad for Ilia since she got hit with the arrow and lost her memory blah blah blah. I think that she really liked Link, even though she was a jerk to him. But might I remind you that this is ONE-SIDED. This is in Ilia's point of view. **

The boredom was over-whelming.

I was sitting alone in my wooden-walled room, watching the lazy, white clouds slowly roll by my window.

I looked down into the backyard to see Malo and Talo fighting over a stick that they were pretending to be a sword. Beth was in the middle trying to break it up and Colin was off to the side in his usual shy manner.

I laughed lightly at their childish behavior.

I felt lonely, really, because there were no other kids my age, or even remotely close to it.

Beth (the closest to my age) and I hung out a little, but she wasn't very good company. She talked about herself constantly, and never let me get a word in edge wise.

Colin was so shy, he wouldn't even talk to me. When I would try to speak to him, he would simply mumble something inaudible and continue walking with his head hung over in attempt to avoid talking.

Talo was the most annoying of them all, and was also the most childish. He would pick up sticks along whatever trail we were walking on and thrash about, beckoning for me to join him in whatever silly game he thought up.

Malo… he was just creepy.

Sighing, I continued to watch Malo and Talo fight over the sword-stick. Getting bored quickly, I sighed and plopped down on my bed.

After a few moments of silence, I heard talking downstairs. I tried to make out what they were saying, but it wasn't audible from where I was, so I snuck around the stairwell to see if I could hear better. I must have caught the middle of their conversation.

"-Yeah, that postman is a disgrace to humanity. Hey, did anyone tell you about the boy that just moved in that tree house by the forest? I hear that he's pretty good with horses. Maybe I could use him at my ranch..?" one person said, hinting at the last sentence.

I figured that must be Fado considering he was the only one who owned a ranch within 100 miles.

The second voice was my father.

"Yes, Fado, and I would thank you not to bother the boy on his first day here. Let him rest and settle in, then we'll see about puttin' him to work," my father said.

"…Fine," Fado pouted.

Over-come with curiosity, I figured that now was a good time to cut in to try and get a little more information on their topic.

"A new boy?" I asked, acting as if I had just caught the end of their conversation.

Fado and my father turned and looked up at me as I came the rest of the way down the staircase.

"Yes M'am. A young lad just moved in near the forest," Fado said to me.

I perked up a little. A new boy might be a good thing to have around here. Since Colin, Talo, Malo, and Beth were hopeless companions, things were quiet and boring 24/7. I hoped that this new kid might be just what I needed to add a little fun to my life.

Seeing the excitement plastered like thick cement across my face, my father smiled.

"Why don't you go say hello? I'm sure he would appreciate a warm welcome," my father said smirking.

"That sounds like a great idea!" I said happily.

"He's down at my ranch," Fado called as I walked out the doorway.

"What might he be doing there?" my father asked, looking accusingly at his friend.

"I might have… well… already asked him to herd a few innocent goats into the stable… maybe," Fado said meekly.

"Now, Fado I told you-!" I ran out of the house before my dad could scold Fado too much.

I walked along the path to the ranch – which was just a few yards from my house – and thought about what I was getting myself into.

Was this kid going to be nice? Did he want to even meet some girl that he didn't know? I didn't even know how old he was!

Stopping in my tracks, I thought about whether I should just turn around and go back home, or continue with my plan to go and see this new boy. Finally deciding that I would meet him eventually anyway, I continued down the path to the ranch.

I walked up to the ranch's beautifully carved gate and skillfully hopped over it as I had been doing my entire child-hood. I landed with a 'thud' on the other side of the fence, planting my bare feet against the cool grass that covered the ranch's pasture like carpet

Glancing around, I expected goats to be covering the field as usual, baaing and eating their weight in grass, but there was not one in sight.

I scanned the area to see if I could spot anyone.

Grass. How exciting.

Suddenly, I saw a figure lying on the hillside. It just seemed like a speck from where I was standing, but regardless, I continued toward it with a smile on my face.

From my first glance, he seemed to be a little small-built and skinny.

I cocked my head slightly to one side in thought. I couldn't believe that he had herded all those goats in the one morning he had been here.

I moved forward a little, and was surprised that the boy didn't move.

Maybe he was asleep..?

I got a few feet from him and confirmed that he was, indeed, asleep.

The closer I got, the more I blushed.

His hair looked so beautiful as it flowed softly in the evening breeze, I could just lie in it and take a nap. His whole face wasn't too bad to look at, either.

He looked so peaceful and content, I just wanted to lie down beside him and go to sleep myself.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I jumped when he suddenly shifted on the ground.

My face turned blood red when I realized that I had just watched him sleep.

He cracked open his eyes and I was immediately lost in them. They were so… blue. Two clear, deep, calm, blue pools of sparkles. I blushed deeper (if possible) when he shifted them to me.

"Hello," he greeted calmly. His voice was perfect; just like the rest of him.

I didn't speak, so he sat up and stretched his arms above his head, closing his eyes and grunting as he strained his perfectly-toned muscles. They were easy to see since one of his sleeves was completely torn off.

He turned back to me a smiled. More blushing.

"Hellooo?" he repeated in a sarcastic tone.

"H-hi!" I faltered, shaking my head out of the trance.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"My name? Oh! My name! It's… uh… I-Ilia! Ilia's my name!" I said stupidly.

"I'm Link and I just moved in the house near the forest. It's a pleasure to meet you!" he said happily, extending a hand my direction and smiling.

Blushing again, I gently took his hand and shook it as if it were a piece of wet paper.

"So what brings you out here?" he asked releasing my hand.

"M-my dad said that there was a new kid and that I should give him a warm welcome to the village. Fado said that I would find you here," I explained, flustered.

"I guess you did!" he said chuckling, "so, what do you do for fun around here? I met the other kids, but they were a little bit too childish for me."

I was surprised when he said that, since I thought the exact same thing. Then I thought about his question. What did I do for fun? I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Well, we have a horse. It's pretty fun to ride. Well… that is, if I could. I don't really know how," I confessed.

"You have a horse? Cool! Can we ride it? I rode one to herd the goats, but it was a little bit too wild for my liking," he said hopping up from the ground. He was only a few inches from me.

"Uh-huh," I said shakily.

"Let's go then! Show me where it is, and I'll show you how to ride it!" he said grabbing my hand.

I blushed fiercely as he dragged me to the stables and looked around at the stalls. The farm house reeked with the smell of wet hay and horses.

"Where do you keep it? I don't see it anywhere in here," he said giving me a saddened look after looking through a few of the stalls at the front that only contained goats.

I was so entranced by his hand in mine that it took me a moment to respond.

"Uh- it-it's in the last stall to the right," I stuttered.

"Okay!" he said happily, dragging me down to the stall that I had directed him to.

He let go of my hand (to my disappointment) and unlocked the door.

The horse inside stared at Link for a moment and then pushed her head against his chest.

"Whoa!" he said grabbing her head and petting it, "you don't pet her much, do you? What's her name, anyway?"

"Epona. She is really gentle, and as you can see, she loves to be petted," I said smiling.

"Cool. Okay, Epona, want to go for a ride?" he asked her, patting her side.

She whinnied happily in response.

"Let's go then!" he said hopping on top of her skillfully. I wasn't surprised that he had herded all of those goats in that short time anymore.

I was too lost in my thoughts to hear him talking to me.

"Ilia?" he repeated. I shook my head and looked up at him. He had held a hand out to me and was gesturing to grab it.

Hesitating for a moment, I shakily took it and he pulled me up behind him.

"Link! I don't know how to ride!" I yelled, feeling off balance.

"Just hold onto me and you'll be fine," he said smiling back at me.

I thought I was about to pass out. Things were going too fast for me to catch up.

I gently pressed the tips of my fingers against his side, fearing if I hung on too tightly he would think I was weird.

"You'll have to hold on tighter than that. You'll fall off in a second, and then it'll be my fault if you get hurt," he said.

I stared at him blankly, not knowing what I should do.

Getting impatient, he suddenly grabbed my hands and tightened them around his waist.

"Now, hold on tight!" he said, kicking Epona's side.

Epona whinnied and galloped out of the stables and onto the field.

I honestly thought that I was going to pass out right there.

Being so close to him, and having my hands around him so tightly; it was just too much! I knew that I was blushing and getting redder by the minute. I couldn't even feel us moving.

"Ilia? Are you okay?" I heard him ask.

I snapped out of my thoughts and noticed that we weren't moving anymore.

…Awkward…

Blushing so hard that I would probably be stained red for life, I removed my hands quickly and looked at his concerned face.

"You're awfully red. Do you have a fever?" he asked, placing a hand on my forehead.

Did I mention that I was blushing?

"I-I'm fine! I-I'm just a little dizzy from the ride," I lied, trying to make up an excuse.

"Well, okay. If you don't feel good, just tell me and I'll bring you home," he said, smiling a beautiful smile.

"I-I will," I agreed.

He swung his leg over the side and hopped off Epona.

I was going to try to look cool and hop off, too, but instead, my foot got caught in the stirrup. I was about to fall to the ground, but was caught before I could.

I looked up to see Link smirking down at me. I was in his arms.

I WAS IN HIS ARMS.

I squeaked and struggled out of his loose grasp.

"You are so clumsy! Are you okay?" he asked, chuckling a little.

"Y-yea! Of course!" I said, nonchalantly dusting off my pants, really just trying to hide my ever-present blush.

"I think you need to go home. You don't seem too well," he said, gesturing to follow him in the direction of my house.

I nodded and walked along beside him.

While we were walking along the trail, I thought about how much better things were going to be now that Link was going to be living here.

I smiled the happiest smile that I had in a long time.

**I hope that you liked the first chapter! Thanks for reading =)**


	2. The journey begins

Before I really wanted to, we arrived at my doorstep.

"See ya, Ilia! Hope you feel better!" Link called as he walked in the direction of his own house.

I watched him all the way until I couldn't see him anymore.

Sighing like a love-sick teenager, I leaned against the door frame of my house.

"Hey there, Ilia!" my dad said. I hadn't even noticed that he had come outside.

"Hey, Dad," I said, still staring in the direction of where Link had disappeared.

"So, how did it go with Link?" my dad asked.

"It… uh… was very… interesting," I said smiling.

He gave me a whatever-you-say look in response.

"Okay, then. Well, I'll see you later," my dad said walking in the direction of Link's house.

"Where are you going?" I asked, catching up to him.

"Link has been chosen to make a trip to Hyrule Castle and make a very important delivery to Princess Zelda, so I'm going to give him the news," my dad said.

My face must have looked like I had seen a ghost.

"B-but he's only been here one day!" I said hastily.

"Yes, but he's the only one able. The rest of us are either too old or too young to make the trip," my dad said.

"B-but-"

"No more buts, Ilia! I need to get to his house to discuss this!" my dad said, interrupting me.

I stayed and watched on silently as he made his way through the trees to Link's house, threatening to end my happiness with a few simple words.

I thought about this trip that my new friend was destined to take as I stood alone in the dark.

Hyrule Castle was a VERY long distance from Ordon Village, so he would be gone for at least a week, even on horseback.

And what about this Princess Zelda? What if Link met her and it was like love at first sight?

No, that couldn't happen… right?

I hoped as hard as I could that it wouldn't.

Slowly and sadly, I walked up the incline to my house.

. . . . . . . . . .

I woke up the next morning feeling pretty sick. I don't know if it was from the thought of losing Link, or if it was truly an illness.

Whatever the cause, I hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

I fixed my hair in my normal fashion and put on clean clothes.

Buckling on my signature purse around my thigh, I walked out my bedroom door and down the stairs. I heard more talking in the living room, so I snuck around the corner to see if I could hear the conversation better.

I was surprised to hear the smooth voice of Link ringing throughout the small room.

"-Yeah, that postman is a disgrace to humanity. Anyway, do you have the package ready?" he asked.

"Yes'ir. Here you go, boy," my father said.

He handed Link the package that was neatly wrapped in brown paper.

"Wish me luck. And tell Ilia that I said goodbye," Link said.

"I will, boy, but are you sure that you don't want to wait for her to get up? I'm sure that she would be sad if you left without telling her goodbye face-to-face," my dad said.

"I wish I could, but I think it would be a good idea to go ahead and get an early start. The earlier I leave, the earlier I can get back," he said.

"You might not be so quick to make the decision about coming back, lad. I hear that Princess Zelda is looking for a new guard. The other ones are useless, and she could use a good, strong boy like you," my dad said.

"I might just have to take her up on that!" he said winking. Both of them laughed.

I could have died right there. I definitely wanted to.

I ran back up to my room, making a lot of noise doing so, and slammed down on my bed.

I cried as hard as I could into my pillow. My new friend was going to be gone forever.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs to my room, so I figured my dad had heard my noisy retreat and come up to console me.

I didn't want to hear it. I couldn't be calmed down.

"Ilia?" a voice said in the thresh-hold. It wasn't my father's.

I looked up and saw Link standing in my doorway with a concern etched into every corner of his face. He was the last person I wanted to see.

"I don't want to talk right now, Link!" I yelled, burying my head back into my pillow.

"But you need to," he said, calmly walking over to my bed and sitting on the corner.

My crying let up a little bit.

"Ilia, what's wrong?" he asked. Things seemed to go right over his head. I didn't know if he was dense or just didn't understand at all how I felt about him.

"Nothing!" I yelled.

I gasped when he jerked up my shoulders and brought his face up to mine. His face was stern and his ocean blue eyes froze to ice.

"Ilia, please. What's wrong?" he said in an I won't-take-nothing-for-an-answer look.

I looked at his face, my face dusted pink, and searched for something that would tell me that he wasn't serious.

I couldn't believe that he didn't realize that I was in love with him.

"Link… I… I was just so lonely before you came here. Now that you're leaving… I'll go back to being alone…" I said, more tears streaming down my face.

He wiped some of them away and smiled.

"Ilia, I was just kidding about working for Zelda. Sure, it would be cool, but I moved here to escape the fast-paced life. I like the quietness of Ordon, and all of the people that live here. I'll be back in a week. I promise," he said.

My eyes sparkled with happiness and I smiled as he wiped away another tear that slid down my cheek.

"Thanks…" I whispered.

"No problem. Now, let's go down stairs and you can help me pack," he said smiling.

I smiled back and we began to head down stairs. My dad was sitting at the table with a worried look on his face.

"ILIA! Are you okay?" he asked running up to me.

"Yes, Dad, I'm fine," I said smiling.

He gave me a questioned look then turned to Link. Link smiled and continued to walk out the door.

On the way to his house, I was admiring the way his eyes shone in the moonlight. I loved those beautiful blue eyes. I was so lost in them that I didn't even realize that I was staring at him.

"Ilia?" he questioned. I blushed and turned away.

"You've been acting really weird ever since I met you. I've met a lot of people in my life, but none of them act the way that you do. Now, what is going on?" he asked stopping.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I blushed deeper than I had the whole time I had been with him. What was I going to say? What was I going to do? I couldn't tell him that I was in love with him! No, that was way too awkward. So, I did what anyone would do. I lied.

"I… uh… just don't feel too well. I think I have a bit of a fever. But, I'm sure I'll feel better!" I said with a goofy grin spread across my face.

"O… kay?" he said, cocking an eyebrow. He then continued on down the path to his house.

I breathed a sigh of relief for his obliviousness and then caught up with him.

When we arrived at his door (after climbing the ladder), he opened it for me and I blushed again as I walked through. He was so perfect and well-mannered.

I walked in a looked around. It was a pretty simple place, but it felt very warm and inviting. There was a soft bed on the upper level, and a large black pot over the fire place in the living room. Books lined the walls and lie tossed aside on various areas of the floor. He also had a simple wooden sword hanging on the wall near the door. He must have caught me staring.

"I know, it's not a very good place to live, but this is just temporary until I can get a real home in the village," he said, pulling out a saddlebag from the basement.

"No! That wasn't it! I… was just surprised. Is that little wooden sword all your going to have to protect you?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Well… yeah. I don't think I'll be seeing anything along the way that would call for much defense," he said.

"Well you won't be much of a fight with that thing," I said laughing.

"Oh, so now you're insulting my sword?" he laughed as he put down his bag.

Seeing that he was joking and not truly insulted, I decided to play along.

"Yes. Do you have a problem?" I asked smiling.

"Why, yes," he said as he swung around and pinned my wrists to the wall, "I do."

I was shocked and overjoyed at the same time that we were so close.

He pulled me to the floor, obviously being careful not to hurt me. He pinned me down until I wiggled around enough to shake him off. We switched positions and I now had him pinned to the ground. I could tell that he was letting me do it on purpose, but at the moment, I didn't feel insulted in the least.

We wrestled on like this for what seemed like forever until I playfully punched him in the arm. He stopped and sat up with an equally playful smirk.

"ACK! I'm hit! I'm going down! You're… too… strong!" he said as he dramatically fell back to the floor.

"That'll teach you to mess with me!" I said through laughs.

"*Cough*… truce," he said extending a hand toward me.

"Truce," I said grabbing his hand and pulling him up.

"So, anyway, let's get packing. I'm already pretty late. I wouldn't want to keep Zelda waiting," he said, dusting off.

There's that name again.

"Yeah… Zelda," I said indignantly.

I don't know why, but I was extremely worried about this girl. I had heard that she was about Link's age and was very beautiful. One look at her, and Link would instantly fall in love. I knew it.

"So… uh… about this… 'Zelda'. You don't… like her… do you?" I asked, nonchalantly folding some of his clothes and tucking them carefully inside the bag.

He didn't answer right away, and when I looked at him, he was blushing.

He obviously did. He cleared his throat and finally responded.

"I… uh… don't really know how to answer that," he said, obviously trying to avoid looking me in the eyes.

"You could say 'yes'," I said a little more angrily than I probably should have.

"I've just been through so much with her… she was one of my best friends… but lately… I have different feelings towards her," he said.

"So you do know her," I said, finally turning to him.

"Yeah. You… could say that," he said.

I hesitated at his last sentence, trying to figure out exactly what he was implying.

"What do you mean?" I asked, thoroughly intrigued.

"Well… I knew her in a past life," he said.

"A… past life?" I asked. I was so lost.

"Yep. I'm a reincarnation of another Link," he said like it was no big deal.

"…"

"I know… it sounds weird, but that's the truth."

"Then how do YOU know her?"

"I'm not completely sure… it's just like… this special connection. She is also reincarnated, you know. My past life must have known her, and now… so do I."

He smiled as he thought about it.

"How?"

"Look at this," he said as he extended his hand out to me.

I looked on the back of it to see the faded insignia of the Triforce. I had read and heard stories about its incredible power and influence on the people who possessed it.

Zelda must have it, too.

"I have the Triforce of Courage, Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom, and Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power," he said.

"Ganondorf?" I asked.

"He's just an evil, power-mad freak that constantly tries to take over the world. He always goes after me and tries to kill me," he said simply.

My eyes became wide with horror at the thought of anyone trying to hurt my… I mean… Link.

Looking at my horror-stricken face, he sweat-dropped.

"Oh, don't worry! He's been locked away by the six sages. He won't be a problem," Link said smiling. I loved that smile.

"Oh…ok," I said.

There was an awkward moment of silence as he finished packing his bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"Well, looks like I'm all packed. I… guess I'll be heading out now," he said as awkwardly as the silence before it.

"Oh… yeah. I… guess you better. Bye, Link," I said sadly.

"Bye, Ilia. I promise I'll be back soon," he said, giving me a half-hearted smile.

He opened the door, gave me a last good-bye smile, and walked out.

I stood alone in the now vacant house.

I felt more alone than I had in my entire time living in the village.

I can't believe how close I felt to him, even though I had only met him just this morning.

I can't believe how much I missed him, even though he had walked out only moments ago.

As much as I wanted to believe his promise that he would come back, I had serious doubts.

All I could think about was that he was gone, and probably would be…

Forever.


	3. Captured

I woke up feeling more tired than usual. I sat up and looked outside my window to see that it was still pitch dark. It couldn't have been later than 3:00 in the morning.

Lying back down, I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. All I could see was Link's face.

A noise downstairs jolted my eyes back open. It sounded like footsteps, but they were quick and purposed; like they _wanted_ me to hear them and follow them.

Obeying their beckoning, I got up from my bed and crept across my wood floor to my door.

Wincing now and then from the occasional creak in the floors at the fear of being heard, I made my way down the stairs.

Peaking around the corner into the living room, I tried to spot the mysterious person that was making the noise.

Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground.

I turned over to see a strange creature with little red eyes staring at me through the darkness.

I looked on in horror when the thing held up a piece of cloth and tied it around my mouth. I tried to kick at it, but it grabbed my hands and legs and tied them together also.

Completely helpless, the thing dragged me out the door and into the cold darkness.

. . . .

After a while of being dragged along the ground, choking on dust, the thing stopped in the center of the village and let out a cry that sounded similar to a dog's bark.

Suddenly, a whole army of the things came out of the darkness and crowded around me. I recognized them this time.

They were bulbins.

The one that was holding me let out another bark and gestured for the others to follow it.

They all let out little distinct barks of their own and headed for the other houses in the village.

_They must be going after the other's, _I thought, _but… why?_

First on the list were Talo and Malo. Four of them went into their house for the capture.

A few minutes later, Malo and Talo were brought out of the house in the same fashion I had been. They were kicking and screaming through the cloth and rope that bound their bodies. I watched helplessly, almost crying that I couldn't do anything to get them out of this situation.

Colin was next. Two went in this time, and a few minutes later, Colin was drug out of the house, crying.

Beth was brought out by only one, just as I had. She struggled slightly, but soon gave up, knowing there was no way out.

When they all seemed content with their findings, the leader let out another bark and began to head in the direction of the forest. The others began to follow him, letting out satisfied barks occasionally.

Again, dust threatened to choke me and sticks and rocks scratched and bruised my face along with the rest of my body. The chill in the night air was almost unbearable.

Suddenly, I felt freezing cold water completely cover my body. I looked up to see a familiar place.

It was Ordon spring.

The lead bulbin stopped and looked around. It then pulled out a horn in the shape of a crescent and put the unique instrument to its lips.

A terrible noise emitted from it; not music, for sure.

With great relief to my ears, it didn't last long before the bulbin stopped and turned toward the entrance of the spring, looking as if it anticipated the arrival of something.

A few moments passed before I heard increasingly loud hoof beats coming in the direction of the spring.

My already high-level terror skyrocketed when an enormous blue boar with a hideous giant bulbin riding on top tromped into the spring with a triumphant, snaggle-toothed smile played upon his lips.

It looked at all of our horror-stricken faces and his smile grew wider.

He pulled out an even bigger horn and blew the same, hideous tune that the smaller-scale bulbin had played before.

Smiling once more, he looked up into the sky. My eyes followed his up into the air to see a dark portal begin to open directly above the spring.

He gave all of us one last glance before riding out of the spring. Several of the bulbins began to chase after him.

The bulbin that was holding me smiled and also started to follow along behind the big boar.

Being drug along the ground really began to take its toll on my fragile body.

When I had finally taken too much damage to bear… I blacked out.

. . . . . .

When I opened my eyes, a bright light threatened to blind me, making me squint.

Ignoring the light for now, I bolted upright and looked around. Proving to be too rash of a move after just waking up, I held my pounding head. I felt like I had just got hit with a thousand pound hammer.

"So, you're awake?" a female voice asked.

I turned to the voice to see a large woman standing in the doorway. Her hair was in braids tied up in the back and she wore a slightly revealing outfit. She smiled an inviting smile at me and started heading towards the bed I was in.

"I bet you're wondering what you're doing here. Some of my friends found you passed out in Hyrule field next to a bulbin camp. They destroyed the camp and brought you here. Good thing, too. You were mighty bruised and had several injuries, but we gotcha bandaged up and on the road to recovery!" the woman said.

I just stared at her, trying to take in all that she had just told me. My head was still throbbing and I didn't really want to think about anything else at the moment.

"Oh, pardon me. Where are my manners? My name is Telma. May I ask what your name is?" she said in a sweet tone.

I suddenly realized that my throat was on fire. I didn't want to talk. I didn't even really want to breathe, but I also didn't want to be rude seeing as her friends had saved my life and then taken care of me.

"My n-name is Ilia. Thank you for saving me," I choked, some-what finding my voice.

"What a lovely name, darlin'! Are you hungry? I could get you some food if you like," she said, wearing her ever-present sweet smile.

Food was the last thing I wanted. I felt sick to my stomach, but I was dangerously thirsty.

"I wouldn't mind some water," I said meekly.

"Sure thing! I'll be right back, honey. Just relax and make yourself at home," Telma said as she hopped up and left the room.

Home.

Where was home?

Where was I?

Where were Malo, Talo, Colin, and Beth?

These questions bombed my throbbing head until I thought I was going to pass out.

Lying back down in the bed I was in, I closed my eyes to try and calm the awful pain in my head.


	4. Disturbing news

"Honey? Honey, are you alright?" asked a worried voice.

I opened my eyes to see Telma bent over me with a concerned look on her face.

My eyes flickered for a moment to try to get use to the light, and then I realized where I was.

"Y-yes… I'm alright," I told Telma with a reassuring smile.

"Well that's good news! Here's your water, dear," she said, handing me the liquid.

I took the cool glass from her and guzzled down the whole cup in only a few moments.

"My, you were thirsty. Do you have a fever?" she asked, putting a hand to my head.

Now that she said it, I did feel pretty cold, even with the large blanket covering me.

Drawing away her hand, she frowned and nodded.

"Sure enough. That's a mighty fever you have there. I could see how you have it, too. It's only 27 degrees outside tonight! Being drug along the ground probably didn't help the cause, either. I'll get you some medicine from the town doctor and we'll have you fixed up, alright? The bathroom is the door to your left and my friend Shad is downstairs if you need anything else," Telma said smiling and getting up from the bed.

Sighing as I flopped back down on the bed, I tried to ignore the pain the constantly pounded on my head.

The longer I laid in bed, the colder and colder I became.

Snuggling up in a tight ball under the blankets, I thought about Telma and how concerned she had been for my health. She had taken care of a total stranger that her friends had found in Hyrule field next to a bulbin camp. For all they knew, I could have been a poser that was sent to spy on them.

As I thought about all of this, I remembered someone else who had been caring and helpful to me, but I couldn't remember their name or picture their face.

I decided to drop the thought for now and try and get some rest.

. . . . . . .

I woke up with the same cold feeling and the familiar pounding in my head.

As freezing as I was, I sat up and swung my feet over the side of my bed to go get some more water.

Proving to be too big of a motion for my tired body, a wave of nausea hit me like a bomb.

I felt so awful, and I thought about trying to get to the bathroom, but I couldn't move.

Just then, Telma came in with dark hatred apparent on her face. She looked extremely irritated and I thought that she was about to scream out loud.

Pounding over to my bed, she sat down beside me and ranted to herself for a few more minutes.

Sighing after a while of silent irritation, she turned to me and gave me an almost sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry for comin' in all huffy, darlin', but that doctor just drives me crazy sometimes! He said that I'd have to pay him 500 rupees for _medicine_! Ridiculous! And when I tried to tell him that it was for a little girl, he said that I could pay the price or pray for a miracle! I swear, that man gets on my last nerves!" Telma growled.

I didn't know who she was talking about, but I decided to just let her vent. Sighing again, she turned to me and put a soft hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, honey, but this is all I was able to get you. I think it will bring down your fever, and it might just make you feel better all the way around! It almost cost me an arm and a leg, but I deem it worth it to see a little girl get all better! Be sure to drink it with water, darlin' or it will taste mighty awful," Telma said as she handed me a little white tablet and left the room, mumbling about how to get her revenge on that horrible doctor.

Looking down at my recently-acquired medicine, I got up and went to the bathroom in search of water, being careful not to move _too_ quickly.

I opened the cabinet behind the bathroom mirror and found little glass cups to put my water in. Taking one from the shelf, I looked around the bathroom for some source of water, but found nothing. Giving up my search, I slowly walked back into my room with my cup and pill.

Since there was no water anywhere in the bathroom, I decided to go try and find Telma. I hated to bother her, but I felt really awful and I was very thirsty.

Thinking about the long walk I would have to endure to get her, I sighed and walked out of my small room and down several flights of stairs.

Walking into what I assumed to be the main room, I saw Telma sitting at a table with another man. He had circular, wire-framed glasses and messy, red-brown hair. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Hello. I'm guessing that you must be Ilia..? Let me introduce myself. My name is Shad. You probably won't recall, but I am one of the three people that saved you. How are you feeling?" he asked.

When I didn't respond, he glanced at Telma with a what's-wrong-with-her look.

"She's come down with an awful fever, but I've gotten her some medicine. Have you taken it yet?" Telma asked, turning to me.

Remembering the medicine, I glanced down at my empty cup.

Following my eyes, she also saw my water-less glass.

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry, honey! I forgot that there wasn't any water in your bathroom! Here, let me get that for you," she said as she got up and took my cup.

She left the room, apparently to go get water, and left me and Shad in an awkward silence.

"So… um… where do you live?" he asked.

Shocked by his willingness to get to know me, I strained my throat to give a response.

"Ordon village," I chocked out.

"My! That's quite a distance from here! Who are your parents?" he pressed.

"My father is Mayor Bo. He is the head of our village," I said.

"Oh! I know him! He is good friends with one of our alliances. I hope that one day I get to meet the father of such a beautiful, young girl," he beamed.

His openness was starting to creep me out.

Getting me out of the uncomfortable conversation, Telma walked back in with a cup full of water.

"Here you go, hun," she said, handing me the glass.

"Thank you," I said taking the cup.

"No trouble. Now you should get on back to bed. You need your rest," she said.

I nodded in agreement with her suggestion since I was freezing cold and my headache was as strong as ever.

I went back up the staircases and drowsily slumped over to my small cot.

Crawling back into bed, I popped the tablet in my mouth and took a large swallow of water.

Telma was right; that medicine _did_ taste awful.

Ignoring the horrible taste that now plagued my mouth, I laid back down and closed my eyes.

. . . . . . . . .

When I woke up, I felt better.

I actually think my fever had broken since I was very hot and sweaty.

Throwing the heavy blanket to the side, I was hit with a blast of cool air that felt great on my hot face.

Sitting up, I definitely felt better than I had when I had gone to sleep. Moving no longer caused nausea and I was able to think clearly again.

I hopped up and went into the bathroom.

Looking in the apparently old and under-used mirror in here, I was shocked by my appearance.

My hair was a wreck with dirt matting it in places.

My face was completely covered in scratches and bruises; obviously from the rocks and sticks that I was mercilessly drug over against my will.

Grabbing a nearby brush off the counter, I tried to comb through the shock of hair that sat on top of my head.

. . . . . . . . . .

Several hours later, my hair actually looked good.

I had asked Telma to get me some more water to take a bath in, and of course, she complied.

My hair was nice and clean, along with the rest of my body.

The scratches and bruises were still very apparent on my face, but even they had been toned down from their first stage with the help of the warm water.

Thanking Telma for the water, she smiled and told me that she was glad I was feeling better.

I walked back over to my bed and sat down on one of the corners.

Feeling one hundred times better than when I first woke up, I decided to go out for a walk.

I got up and started to head outside, but then it occurred to me that I didn't even know where I was.

I went to find Telma and found her at the same table with the same man as before.

"Um… excuse me, but… where am I, exactly?" I asked quietly.

Telma and Shad looked up at me and smiled.

"Why, you're in Castle Town!" Shad said happily.

Castle Town! Castle Town was _miles_ from Ordon Village. How in the world did I make it all the way _here_?

Seeing the shock on my face, Telma smiled.

"Shad told me about your little chat. I can't believe that you're here, either. Ordon Village is quite a ways from here," Telma said.

"When can I get back home?" I asked.

"Well, that's really not up to me, honey. I would love to take you back, but first we need to go to Kakariko Village to get you some more medicine. We finally determined your illness. All you have is a simple case of the flu. If we get the medicine from Renado, you'll be fixed up and we can get you back home," Telma said happily.

The flu? I didn't feel like I had the flu; I was actually starting to feel better. But it was comforting to know that I would soon be over it, thanks to the medicine.

I smiled and nodded as Telma got up and walked over to me, placing a noticeably warm hand on my recently-clean forehead. After a few moments, she removed it and gave me one of her famous cheery smiles.

"Well, it seems like your fever has packed up and headed for the hills! For now, at least. Not to make you feel bad or anything, darlin', but this is the flu we're talking about. You never know when it might come back; full force," Telma warned, preparing me for what might come later.

I nodded once more as she turned around and went back to the table with Shad. There was a large, well-worn map spread across the table; Shad was examining it when Telma walked over. Talking in a tone that couldn't be heard from where I was standing, they discussed something that I assumed was about the map.

Shrugging it off, I returned to my room to go lie back down. If it was anything important, I would find out eventually.

. . . . . . . . .

I woke up not even realizing that I had drifted off into sleep. Suddenly, I felt the familiar pounding come back to my head. Strange; it seemed more intense than before.

Groaning in aggravation at realizing that my flu symptoms had returned, I turned over to see a white envelope lying on my bedside table. It was a bit yellowed; like it had been lying there for quite a while. How long had I been asleep?

Reaching over to grab the letter, I turned back over to go back into my warm sanctuary of covers. The front of the envelope was sealed with an ornate blue sticker; almost like that of royalty.

Wondering if this mysterious letter was truly for me, I hesitated as my slim fingers began to carefully pry the adhesive from the rest of the envelope. Brushing off the thought, curiosity took over as I pulled away the rest of the sticker and bent the flap to the back. Inside was a simple letter written with masterful penmanship. It read:

_Telma,_

_With a heavy heart, I must tell you that I am not in high hopes of Ilia recovering. At first, I could have bet my life on this being a simple case of the flu, but further research shows that this is far from it. The virus she has acquired is a rare one that cannot be treated with our current medical care. I wouldn't tell her at the moment because she still has about one week left to live, and I wouldn't want her to be filled with stress. Let her live out her last few days in peace. _

_Regards,_

_Renado._


	5. Kiss through the rain

The letter fell from my hands and onto the blankets. Tears instantly flooded to my eyes that must've been twice their size at the moment.

Quivering in my sheets, my whole brain froze in shock.

Die.

I was going to… die.

In a week.

Or maybe less, considering what Renado had written about not telling me.

Why was _I _the one that had to get _this _virus?

Lying in my bed, crying like my life depended on it, I unconsciously began to think about what death would be like.

…Slow.

…Painful.

…Teasing.

Yes. That was a good word for it.

Teasing.

It would tease me by suddenly trying to take away my life, but then stopping at the last second. It would probably tease me until I finally broke down and gave in.

Contemplating all of this, my crying finally let up a little bit. If I just laid here and cried, my last few days were going to be horrible. I might as well make the most of my time left.

Thinking about what exactly I would do to achieve this goal, I remembered something. Some_one, _as a matter of fact.

Suddenly, the image of his face struck me hard and fast like a bolt of lightning.

…Link.

I knew then _exactly _what I wanted to do.

Sitting up, nausea hit me full force, but I ignored it the best I could and went down the flight of stairs. Careful not to let them see me, I peeked into the main room where I saw Telma. She was at her usual table with the same man, but they were in a different state.

Instead of her usual, happy, what-can-I-do-for-you-? smile, it was replaced by several large, crystalline tears that washed down her face until finally dropping tauntingly onto her lap, making that particular area wet.

Shad was obviously trying to hold back tears as well. His wire-frame glasses were removed from their usual perch, resting in his lap while a few lucky tears escaped from under his tightly closed eyelids.

This must be the day that I was supposed to die. And they knew it.

I'll give them credit, though. They were great actors.

Gathering up the courage to actually enter the room, I stepped almost cautiously in the front door. I felt as if at any moment, time bombs would set off and end my life.

A ticking time bomb was a good way to describe what I felt like.

Looking up from their table, Shad and Telma gave me a confused look for a moment before standing up and rushing up to me. They were talking to me, but it just sounded like a bunch of jumbled apologies and failed comforting words.

Suddenly, I felt as if someone had just dropped a 100 ton weight straight on my head. I knew at that moment that I wouldn't make it much longer.

Closing my eyes to try and prevent tears, I dashed past them. Grabbing the handle, I opened the door and stepped out into the street.

I automatically felt freezing cold water rush over my feet. Looking around, I saw that it was dark and pouring down rain.

Ignoring it, I glanced through the streets to see if I could find what I was despreatly searching for. If this was Castle Town, then that means Hyrule castle was only a short distance away.

Dashing up the steps leading into the main part of town, I decided to head right in hopes of finding my destination before it was too late.

I made it into the main area where a gigantic fountain radiated in the middle of the square. This part of town, as well as the others, was completely void of other people.

It was quiet.

It was dark.

And I was alone; dying in the rain.

Remembering why exactly I rushed out of Telma's home so quickly and ran around town despite the rain, I looked up to see a very large castle stare back at me through the storm.

Thunder rumbled nearby, making me shiver a little.

The sudden sensation of pain made me groan and fall to the ground. I suddenly realized that I was farther gone than I had even realized.

Seeing that I was so close to my destination, I staggered back up and continued to trudge through the rain.

After I was about half-way to the castle, I heard a voice. _His _voice.

"Gosh… I hate to get out in this down-pour… but I really need to get home. Ilia will be waiting for me and I promised her that I would be back today," the voice encouraged itself.

I knew who it was immediately.

Looking up, I saw his silhouette approaching me. I smiled to myself as he finally noticed me and wore an expression of pure horror.

"ILIA!" he called to me.

I was so dizzy that I couldn't tell if I was imagining him running up to me or if it was reality. Whatever the case, I decided to roll with it.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders in an effort to keep me from passing out.

I was too far gone to respond. Instead, I slowly leaned into him. He didn't move. He was too innocent to know what I was about to do.

"I…Ilia?" his eyes became a little bit wider when I obviously got too close for his personal liking.

I ignored him as I gently -hesitantly- touched my lips to his. It was just like imagined.

Perfect. Even through the rain.

He was too shocked to respond in any way. I didn't care though.

I smiled as I pulled back, wishing that it would have lasted a little bit longer, but happy with what I got. I knew he didn't like me that way, but I at least had to let him know how I felt. His confused expression made me want to laugh out loud.

"W-what-?" was all he could say.

Smiling, I felt my legs give way give way under me, and I fell to the ground.

"ILIA!" he yelled to me, kneeling down to my side and resting a concerned hand on my arm. It was so warm in contrast to the chilling rain that continued to pelt us.

I simply smiled and looked up into his worried expression.

"Thanks for keeping your promise…" I said quietly as I cought a last glance at the one I loved.

The last thing I heard was him calling my name.

**THE END**

***Sniff*. I almost literally cried when I wrote that last part. I do hope that you liked this though. Thanks so much for reading =) – Dawn ^^,**


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